Publications

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Research Summary

Recent Strategies in the U.S. Grocery Industry

By: Rajiv Lal

Rajiv Lal's work comparing the benefits of EDLP and Hi-Lo strategies in the grocery industry indicates that while EDLP grocery retailers may not be able to benefit from traditional costs savings associated with this strategy, these retailers still benefit from the use... View Details

February 2019 (Revised September 2019)
Case

Amazon in Fashion

By: John R. Wells, Benjamin Weinstock and Gabriel Ellsworth

According to many analysts and industry observers, in 2018 Amazon became the largest retailer of apparel in the United States and the second largest in the world, behind Alibaba. Much of Amazon’s apparel was made by third-party retailers on its platform, but Amazon had... View Details

21 Jan 2020
News

Lessons for Retailers from the Rebirth of Indie Bookstores

October 2005 (Revised December 2006)
Case

Magazine Luiza: Building a Retail Model of "Courting the Poor"

By: Frances X. Frei and Ricardo Reisen de Pinho

Describes the innovative retail model of the Brazilian firm Magazine Luiza. Magazine Luiza enables low-income consumer credit by applying a flexible and nuanced evaluation system. Additionally, its dedication to customer service, employee motivation, and progressive... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Information Technology; Income; Innovation and Management; Success; Customer Focus and Relationships; Credit; Retail Industry; Brazil

05 Nov 2020
Video

Entrepreneurial Opportunities in a Post-COVID World: The Future of Retail & E-Commerce

19 Jun 2014
Blog Post

Exploring the World of Retail as an Intern at Walmart

Fortunately for my stress level, I came into HBS with two parts of my career vision crystallized already: a role in the retail & consumer products realm, and something that would allow me to see a project beyond the recommendation... View Details

March 2011
Case

Seven-Eleven Japan: The Tanpin Kanri Retail Practice

By: Hirotaka Takeuchi and Carin-Isabel Knoop

This case focuses on Tanpin Kanri, which uses both store-level human knowledge and product information sharing. View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Sharing; Employees; Practice; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Competitive Strategy; Retail Industry; Japan

November 1990 (Revised December 1991)
Case

Ahold & AMS: European Retail Synergy Marketing

By: Ray A. Goldberg

Keywords: Marketing; Retail Industry; Europe

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July 1991
Supplement

Retail Promotional Pricing: When Is a Sale Really a Sale? (B)

Provides the court's decision in the May D&F case, and updates the controversy surrounding high-low retail pricing. View Details

Keywords: Courts and Trials; Price; Judgments; Retail Industry

Article

Can Big-Box Retailers Provide Local Health Care?

By: Robert S. Huckman

National retailers, most notably Walmart and Best Buy, are making big bets on their ability to fill this need for local health care. At first glance, these moves are a bit surprising given that these companies have not traditionally been focused on health care... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Service Delivery; Local Range; Retail Industry; Retail Industry

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24 Apr 2014
News

Using storytelling to transform the retail experience

Stories make sales. That’s the philosophy of Jennifer Lee Koss (AB 2001, MBA 2008), cofounder of BRIKA, an online shop for modern and elevated craft. BRIKA (from fabricá, the Spanish word for factory) enhances the appeal of its well-crafted goods (many of them... View Details

April 2018 (Revised November 2019)
Case

JD: Envisioning the Future of Retail (A)

By: Feng Zhu and Shirley Sun

JD, China’s second largest e-commerce company by gross merchandise volume (GMV) after Alibaba, had expanded rapidly from 2012 to 2016. When the company celebrated its 13th birthday in 2017, Richard Liu, its founder, deliberated on the company’s growth strategies. The... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; E-commerce; Retail Industry; China

June 2001
Teaching Note

Merchandising At Nine West Retail Stores TN

By: Ananth Raman

Teaching Note for (9-698-098). View Details

Keywords: Retail Industry; United States

May 1986
Case

U.S. Retail Coffee Market (A), Software Case

By: Benson P. Shapiro

Keywords: Food and Beverage Industry; United States

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July 1991 (Revised June 1992)
Case

Retail Promotional Pricing: When Is a Sale Really a Sale? (A)

Addresses the controversy that surrounds highly promotional retail pricing referred to as "high-low pricing" by the trade. High-low pricing involves setting prices at an initially high level for a brief period of time, then discounting off the so-called "regular" or... View Details

Keywords: Courts and Trials; Price; Ethics; Consumer Behavior; Product Marketing; Retail Industry; Colorado

Fast Answer

Book publishing industry

How can I find industry and market reports & statistics on book publishing? For Industry & Market Research: IBISWorld: Market research reports on the book publishing View Details

Article

Case Study: Can Retailers Win Back Shoppers Who Browse then Buy Online?

By: Thales S. Teixeira and Sunil Gupta

This case study discusses the options that brick-and-mortar retailers can use to combat the negative consequences of 'showrooming.' View Details

Keywords: Showrooming; E-commerce; Retail Industry

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April 1994
Supplement

Disposable Diaper Industry in 1984

By: Stephen P. Bradley and Pankaj Ghemawat

Updates the Disposable Diaper Industry in 1974. Intended as an in-class handout. View Details

Keywords: Competition; Markets; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry